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It is important to know as much as you can about publishing, as it shows that you value your work and are committed to being successful.
Our submissions are currently closed as we are behind on our reading. Once we have cleared our backlog, we will reopen non-fiction submissions and hope to also accept fiction and children's submissions. If you are enquiring about a submission already sent, please send an email to submissions [at] cameronsmanagement [dot] com [dot] au.
For more information about agents in general and this agency in particular, please see our FAQs.
Frequently asked questions
Please note that the Cameron Creswell Agency does not take responsibility for manuscripts sent for submission.
1. If you ask to see my full manuscript, how long will it take to read?
As we have a large number of manuscripts to read at any one time, it can take several months to read a manuscript and consider it fully.
2. Why can't you read it straightaway?
We have a large number of submissions and full manuscripts to read, in addition to all the other work that goes on in an agency (for more information, please see 'What do agents actually do?' below and also read this blog entry by New York agent Rachel Vater). Even when we really, really want to read your manuscript, we still have to take care of other business.
3. Can I call you to check that my submission has arrived?
Please don't - any time we take to check is time that we are not spending on reading.
4. Can I call you to check whether you've read my submission or not?
Please don't - we read submissions as fast as we can, but are unable to respond to 'hurry-up' phone calls. We do understand how anxious you are to hear news - everyone is!
5. What makes a submission stand out from the rest?
As you only have one shot at submitting to an agency (just as you only have one shot at submitting to a publisher), your manuscript should be the best it can be when you submit. Your first draft will never be your best draft - most published writers go through several drafts of a manuscript before anyone sees it. Also, it is difficult to make publishers see the value in a manuscript if the author themselves has not put value into it. Spend time on the drafting, and seek help and advice from places such as Varuna - The Writers House. If being a published author is important to you, surely you want to give that opportunity the best possible chance of coming to fruition?
It also helps to write a good query letter - any written communication from you is representative of the way you write. If your cover letter contains mistakes, is hard to understand or just generally unstructured, we'll assume the rest of your writing is like that. We are looking for authors we would be happy to present to publishers, and part of that is looking for how much care is taken by you each step of the way. Please also don't tell us that you are the best unpublished writer in the world - show us by the way you write.
6. Will you give me some advice on making my manuscript better?
We are unable to offer editorial advice on manuscripts at submission stage. The best general advice we can give, though, is to say 'be patient and keep writing'. A lot of writers' first novel published is not the first one they wrote - often it's the fourth or fifth. Writing is a craft and a job requiring a lot of time, dedication, skill and practice, just like any creative endeavour.
7. Should I use a manuscript assessment agency?
Manuscript assessment agencies can be valuable if they provide constructive editorial feedback and some agencies are better at this than others. Generally, though, it is your writing we will pay attention to rather than a report from a manuscript assessor.
8. What do agents actually do?
Generally speaking, agents help writers find publishers (and vice versa) and manage that relationship, freeing writers to concentrate on the creative part of their job. More specifically, a typical day can involve:
· meeting with an author
· meeting with a publisher
· phone calls
· reviewing a contract
· many emails from authors and publishers about all sorts of things
· submitting manuscripts to publishers
· writing proposals
· answering queries about submissions
· liaising with our subagents overseas
· checking in with authors who have a deadline looming
· writing an editorial report on a manuscript
· trying to keep abreast of what's selling and what's new
Reading manuscripts and submissions has to be fitted in around these tasks.
9. Why do I need an agent?
Most Australian trade publishers prefer to take submissions from agents, rather than directly from the public, as they simply don't have the time or capacity to find new authors themselves. So an agent helps their writer find a publisher - hopefully the right publisher! The agent also acts as an intermediary, to give the author guidance about the publishing process (if they're new) and deal with any issues that arise. Ideally we free up authors to concentrate on the creative part of their job, and negotiate the best deal for them with a publisher.
10. Do you charge anything?
We don't charge any fees to read submissions - all costs of reading and considering submissions and manuscripts are borne by the agency. If you become a client of the agency, we charge a standard commission rate.
11. I need some advice about writing and getting published - can I call your agency?
We are unable to give advice to writers who are not already represented by us. We recommend you contact a writers' centre in your state.
16. I need some information about publishing - where can I go?
The Australian Society of Authors is a good place to start. There are also several websites - mainly out of the US - which have lots of information about how to get published. Several of these are blogs written by agents or people working in agencies. We recommend the following:
